Author: Vivian J. Paige

A former candidate, I've learned a lot about politics, both good and bad. I'd prefer more of the former and a lot less of the latter and I'm trying to do my part!

American Idol Results 03/03/11

American Idol took a weird turn with its results show Thursday night. Based  on the voting Tuesday and Wednesday night, ten of the top 24 contestants were placed into the top 10. The remaining fourteen contestants were put into a wildcard round. The judges then selected six of the 14 for a final sing-off. From … Continue reading American Idol Results 03/03/11 →

Norfolk informal meetings recorded

The fine folks at AltDaily have decided to record and post videos of the informal meetings of the Norfolk City Council. Most of the work gets done in these sessions, but so far, council has refused to broadcast them. I hope the headline from The Virginian-Pilot story is true - that AltDaily will be streaming … Continue reading Norfolk informal meetings recorded →

Power instead of governance

A tip of the hat to Del. Albert Pollard, whose resignation (pdf) provided some much-needed inspiration for my latest op-ed.  And congratulations to the General Assembly, whose unanimous passage of the budget gave me hope that it is possible to put politics aside and do what is right by the people.

Throwing out the baby with the bath water

OK, so the news side of The Virginian-Pilot let an article slip through that read more like an opinion than news. Mistakes happen and the editor acknowledged it.  But that's not enough for some people. As I read through the comments over there, I was surprised at the folks who said they didn't subscribe to … Continue reading Throwing out the baby with the bath water →

March: Women’s History Month

March is Women's History Month. I hope to have a chance to write some posts but if February's Black History Month posts are any indication, don't bet on it 😦 You might enjoy an earlier article I wrote about the Virginia's role in the struggle of women obtaining the right to vote. Happy Tuesday! Only … Continue reading March: Women’s History Month →

Monday this and that

Been one of those days 😦 Time for a few links. Seems the General Assembly managed to pass a budget yesterday.  The vote was, amazingly enough, unanimous. I'm not so sure what to think of that. I'd like to think it means that the negotiators actually compromised to do the best they could by the … Continue reading Monday this and that →

Retirements

I mentioned in my earlier post today that we needed to focus on November's General Assembly elections. As if on cue, two legislators - both Democrats - announced their retirements today. First up was Del. Albert Pollard. Recall, if you will, that Pollard "retired" in 2005. At that time, it was, according to this, to … Continue reading Retirements →

Friday ruminations

In tax season full tilt so this will be quick. We're #1! Too bad it's at being the first in the nation to have a law (governor will sign) that puts abortion clinics in the same category as hospitals. With "friends" like Chuck Colgan and Phil Puckett, who needs enemies? We're #50! Well, not yet, … Continue reading Friday ruminations →

Fiscally irresponsible through any eyes

My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Wednesday.  The topic, of course, was the now-failed effort to build an office tower. Despite all of this, there was something else going on with this project, an invisible hand pushing it as it rose, phoenix-like, from the ashes for the third time. In various reports … Continue reading Fiscally irresponsible through any eyes →

Norfolk news: more spending

Let's see: Norfolk is facing a $32 million budget deficit, $53 million if the schools are included.  So what austerity measures did the newspaper report today? How about more spending? The beleaguered Community Services Board, which is funded by a combination of city, state and federal funds, gave their executive director a bonus of $21,700 … Continue reading Norfolk news: more spending →